Age

I am in the same age range as letter-writer Fred Perrotti -- 75 plus -- who addressed McCain's age, and I know exactly what he is talking about. Ninety percent of the time I'm right there, but then a slight lapse, and "now what was I doing?" Or, very frequently, "why did I come in here?" With us, it is not too important, just annoying. But president of the most powerful country in the world? There is no room for forgetfulness or misunderstanding. I want to vote for John McCain but am concerned about his health and temper.

As the Winter Park Public Library looks into the possibility of getting a new building to replace the aging one being used now, there's another crucial message they're hoping to get out to the public. Namely, it's that libraries are not at all what they used to be, and play a very different role today. That's true, said the library's executive director, Shawn Shaffer, even though the Winter Park Public Library remains one of the oldest in the state. “We are the first public library is Central Florida, and the fifth in the state,” she said.

Wouldn't you rather be young?" is a predictable response whenever I publicly state how much I like my years. I insist, again and again, that I find repeated pleasures in being old. To my doubters, I argue: "Your question about being young isn't relevant, not to an 80-year-old."

NASCAR scheduled a race in New Hampshire and an AARP rally broke out spontaneously. There are obviously a lot of old-school NASCAR fans smitten by a 72-year-old competing in sport's most challenging series, presumably without his left-turn blinkers flashing incessantly. Sorry, that wasn't very nice of me. Morgan Shepherd, the driver in question and the man who got entangled with and knocked out Joey Logano's car on Sunday, certainly deserves a lot of respect after competing in the sport for 44 years.

From my father's perspective, at age 96, I'm just a kid. It doesn't matter that my head hosts more than a few gray hairs or that my eyes are surrounded by bags on the bottom, folds on the top and a whole nest of crow's feet on both sides. Looking at me from his stage of life, I'm still wet behind the ears. A kid and a young one at that. That's not how my son perceives it. From the sage perspective of one who has seen 16 summers come and go, I'm old, ancient, practically prehistoric. I was, after all, raised in a time when -- GASP!

OCALA — A Marion County woman, reputed to be the oldest living resident of Florida, died Friday morning at age 112 at a hospice, a newspaper reported on its website. The Ocala Star-Banner reported the death of Onie Ponder, describing her as a "supercentenarian," a person aged 110 years or older. The story said she died at the hospice of complications from various illnesses and was the 21st oldest living person in the world. In her latter years she was one of a thousand people to participate in a study on aging.

MAYBE Mike Royko wants us to be drafted between the ages of 18 and 20 because it wouldn't affect him.I must admit I don't know how the government works. Did Royko know that when he was our age?Jay Thomas

IN RESPONSE to Ann Martin's Oct. 14 letter to the editor: I believe that she has dismissed the older people in this country by stating that Bob Dole should retire and let the younger ones take over. Does she mean that once you are past a certain age you are no longer an asset to society?I am only 28 years old, and I certainly hope that when I am older I won't be ''put out to pasture'' until I decide it's time. Age should not be a deciding factor.Karen DickinsonDELAND

Tasers can be put to good use when used in the right situation. For example, it would be right to use a Taser if an officer thinks his life is being put in danger by someone he is trying to arrest. But policemen should not be able to use Tasers on children under the age of 18. Kids might not be able to handle being Tasered the same way an adult can. Police officers who work at schools should not be allowed to carry Tasers on the school campus. Also we need regulations to make sure officers are not using their Tasers in an abusive way -- as happened recently when a man was Tasered while he was handcuffed and tied down to a hospital bed. The reason for Tasering him?

To 65-year-old Harrison Ford, beating up Commies to packed theaters in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, we raise a glass of Metamucil and toast stretching the boundaries of age. Back when Mr. Ford created the role of the swashbuckling archaeologist in 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, 40 was over the hill; 50 was old and 65 was, well, let's just say you didn't see many sexagenarians sexing it up with the likes of Cate Blanchett....

Two days after a record-shattering showing at track and field's U.S. 20-and-under championships, 16-year-old Kaylin Whitney finally came back down to Earth and crashed in the comfort of her own bed. Whitney slept into the afternoon Tuesday after flying back Monday to Orlando from Eugene, Ore., where she broke Florida high-school and World Youth (under-18) records in the 100- and 200-meter dashes at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Junior Championships this past weekend. "The time change really did get me," Whitney said.

Late-night comedians and TV shows such as "30 Rock" long have loved skewering Florida's reputation as Valhalla for retirees. On "30 Rock," for example, in suggesting that the fictional live-sketch show go on the road to Miami, the head writer argued: "Think about it Liz: Florida! I can rent a convertible for a week. You can complain about the heat with elderly people. " Clowning about senior citizens may pass for comic gold. However, it's no laughing matter that Florida often is less nirvana than nightmare for many older Floridians who wish to age at home rather than in institutions.

KISSIMMEE - The roughly 200 youths who attended a two-day football camp never had seen Brent Fullwood play. They don't remember when the Kissimmee native was a first-round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers or any of his 433 NFL carries there. They can YouTube his highlights while he was the featured running back at Auburn, and it has been more than three decades since he was a difference-maker at St. Cloud High. That didn't keep those youths ages 5-18 attending the Brent Fullwood NFL FUNdamentals Football Camp from hearing his present-day message: Concussions are unavoidable in contact sports, but learning proper technique early can make a difference in player safety.

The University of Miami has been a regular in the NCAA jailhouse through the years. The Hurricanes, however, have never been put on probation for enticing a recruit with a Swimsuit Barbie, an Easy-Bake Oven and a Harry Potter piggybank. You wonder if it's just a matter of time now. Say this for the Hurricanes: They have apparently followed procedure in recruiting Jaden Newman, a starter on Downey Christian School's varsity girls basketball team in Orlando. UM cleared it first with the NCAA, considering Jaden is 9 years old. "It was straight recruiting.

In a sign of the times, Winter Park's 52-year-old train station got demolished last week, while the city's new train station now gets daily visits from SunRail trains during the week, and has an office for the Amtrak service line located inside it. The old station had simply passed its prime. “We knocked down the old train station,” said City Manager Randy Knight, “and the new one is open, and we have Amtrak settled in there.” Next up for the former station are plans to clear away the gravel that now makes up the remnants of the old brick-and-glass building, and make way for something entirely new. The plans for the property that once housed the old station include turning it into a grassy field that provides green space for local residents, while it will also host works of art. That will be a part of the city's Public Art in Transit program, featuring newly-installed vertical panels that the city's Public Art Advisory Board had commissioners after a recent call to artists.

A Central Florida man remained behind bars Monday after he admitting sexually abusing and photographing two girls, deputies say. George Marshall Collins, Jr., of Kissimmee was charged with 22 counts of possessing child pornography, eight counts of capital sexual battery, four counts of lewd and lascivious molestation and three counts of lewd exhibition. He is being held without bond at the Osceola County Jail. The alleged victims, ages 15 and 10, told investigators Collins began touching them inappropriately one or two years ago. The older victim said the abuse started when she was 13. The younger one said she was 8 or 9. The 15-year-old said he was a family friend.

Vince Carter often jokingly refers to himself as "the old man," as he's the eldest player on a veteran but still relatively youthful Magic squad. He's very serious about not using his age as an excuse, though, as he wants to play full starter minutes and play as many minutes as possible. But as his age continues to climb, the idea of limiting his playing time has come up more than once. The playoffs are what's important, so maybe he should take it somewhat easy till then? No way. "Stan’s not going for that," Vince Carter joked, before adding that he wouldn't want that either.

No question but that those "New Voices" columns make for good reading. It's nice to see the intelligence of the younger generation on display. However, there is a bit of wisdom left in "old voices" as well. So for all those younger writers and readers, let me offer something from the other end of the spectrum. I recall the passing of family members and friends of the family when I was young. They were all younger than I am now. Invariably, others would comment how they lived a full life and, if we were lucky, perhaps we also could hope for as long a fruitful life as they led. Wanting to seem mature and wise, I would sometimes make the same observation.

I don't know about you, but I am not getting any older. Despite all evidence to the contrary -- that not one but two of my kids who were just in car seats a few minutes ago are in college, that my skin suddenly has about as much rebound as a 20-year-old bathing suit, and that the only thing about me getting stronger is my eyeglass prescription -- I am not aging. Is that clear? However, because others out there are aging, or so I'm told, I am passing on this very good advice to both older adults with grown children and grown children of older adults: It is not too soon to think about downsizing.

Little Clickers computer classes will be offered at the Leesburg Public Library, 100 E. Main St., for children ages 3 to 7 and their caregivers. The classes will teach basic computer skills and internet safety for young children. Lessons will include the parts of a computer, basic searching, how to drag-and-drop and staying safe online. The sessions will help build a foundation for learning more advanced computer skills in the future, while also helping instill confidence and ease with technology.